Surrounded by colorful number cards, beads and blocks, dozens of elementary teachers from across Louisville sat inside a packed training room last week, learning a new way of teaching math that focuses on problem-solving and in-depth understanding.

Often criticized as too prescriptive and all-consuming, standardized tests have support among parents, who view them as a useful way to measure both students' and schools' performances, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

After a rocky 13-year reign as Evanston's elementary school district superintendent, Hardy Murphy abruptly resigned two weeks before the start of classes, leaving stunned supporters and detractors with questions.

The survey found that nearly 60% of parents’ volunteer hours are spent supervising field trips, donating supplies, or organizing class parties. But with tight school resources, teachers want and need additional volunteer help in ways that support learning, such as listening to students read, tutoring, and helping to prepare learning centers.

These lessons from Sascyn Publishing contain discussion questions, research and writing assignments and drawing activities. They highlights puns, idioms and every nuance of the language contained in the app. They're also linked to Blooms Taxonomy making the app ripe for ELA classroom use.

The automatic, across-the-board budget cuts have also resulted in pay cuts or layoffs for at least 18,000 employees of Head Start, which provides education, nutrition, and health services for children aged 5 and under.